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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — for digging
  5. staff — employees
  6. face — to confront
  7. file — a line of people
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cap — of ice
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. file — a document
  17. rush — hurry
  18. last — final
  19. staff — a stick
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cap — a lid
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. perch — the fish

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