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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — happy
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. perch — the fish
  7. present — a gift
  8. root — of a word
  9. field — farmland
  10. root — of a plant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. field — for sport
  18. file — a document
  19. present — there
  20. field — a subject
  21. root — the cause
  22. firm — a company
  23. file — a tool
  24. content — videos and posts

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