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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.

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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bass — the fish
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. kid — to tease
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. branch — a division
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. kid — child
  24. bass — low music

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