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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. key — for a lock
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. key — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. key — the most important part
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. branch — a division
  19. kick — in football
  20. file — a tool
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. file — a document
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. scale — in 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