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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. file — a tool
  3. bound — certain
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. root — the cause
  6. chest — of your body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chest — of your body
  14. root — of a word
  15. snap — to click
  16. chest — a box
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bound — obliged
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mug — to rob
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — tied together
  23. file — a document
  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