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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. can — a tin
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. file — a tool
  9. plane — a tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — of the year
  12. squash — the sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. can — to be able to
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. squash — to crush
  19. can — a tin
  20. rule — a law
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. file — a document

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