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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. track — to keep track
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. plane — a tool
  10. club — a group
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. file — a tool
  14. root — of a word
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. club — for dancing
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. club — for golf
  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