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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. file — a document
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. perch — the fish
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chip — to eat
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. hand — help
  21. fork — in a road
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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