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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — obliged
  4. file — a tool
  5. club — a group
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. file — a document
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bound — tied together
  11. foot — a measure
  12. club — for golf
  13. rash — a series
  14. file — a line of people
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bound — certain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pit — a hole
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — on the skin
  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