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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. object — an aim
  3. rash — hasty
  4. object — to protest
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rash — a series
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. object — a thing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com