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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — a video
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. clip — for paper
  6. perch — the fish
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mug — a cup
  9. swing — in golf
  10. file — a tool
  11. swing — to play on
  12. mark — a trace
  13. court — of a king
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a grade
  18. swing — music
  19. mug — a face
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. court — of law
  23. mug — to rob
  24. perch — for a bird

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