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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. file — a document
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — wild animals
  7. plane — a tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. game — a match
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. file — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. file — a line of people

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