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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — clever
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. file — a document
  8. press — to push
  9. file — a line of people
  10. press — newspapers
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — a publisher
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. file — a tool
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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