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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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. pass — to succeed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. spring — a coil
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. perch — the fish
  10. content — happy
  11. file — a document
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. content — the amount
  14. pass — a permit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. rush — hurry
  22. spring — the season
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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