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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. file — a line of people
  3. squash — the sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. firm — steady
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — a permit
  13. file — a document
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fine — high quality
  16. perch — the fish
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — to crush
  19. degree — from a university
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. firm — a company
  23. degree — temperature
  24. firm — decided

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