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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. file — a document
  11. fine — all right
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. kid — child
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. temple — side of the head

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