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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.

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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rest — a break
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — farmland
  22. file — a document
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — a subject

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