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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. spell — magic
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hand — help
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kid — child
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kid — to tease
  15. perch — the fish
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. file — a tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. face — to confront
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — to keep secret

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