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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. file — a line of people
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. net — for catching
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. shower — rain
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. file — a document
  13. perch — the fish
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. lie — to recline

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