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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — in sport
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a document
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — after costs
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. perch — the fish
  18. file — a line of people
  19. kid — child
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. net — for catching
  24. season — of the year

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