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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 124 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. pit — in a race
  3. march — music
  4. fall — the season
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pit — a hole
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. perch — the fish
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. march — the month
  20. file — a document
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a ring
  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