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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. file — a tool
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. perch — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bass — the fish
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a document
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. charge — in control
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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