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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. file — a tool
  6. present — there
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. foot — a measure
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — the time now
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pop — music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. file — a document
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — a gift
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — the fish
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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