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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 124 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. swing — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. perch — the fish
  6. plane — a tool
  7. last — final
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — to play on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — finally
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. file — a tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. file — a document
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. last — to go on
  24. plane — in geometry

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