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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. scale — in music
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. band — a music group
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a document
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rest — a break
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. file — a tool
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. file — a line of people
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a ring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bulb — for light
  24. band — a rubber band

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