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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — in sport
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. last — final
  8. season — of the year
  9. saw — the tool
  10. file — a document
  11. last — to go on
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spring — a coil
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. file — a line of people
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a horse colour

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