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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. perch — the fish
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pass — a permit
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. file — a tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. file — a document
  24. fork — in a road

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