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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — a video
  4. drill — army training
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mug — to rob
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. drill — a practice
  9. perch — the fish
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — to confront
  13. clip — to cut
  14. file — a tool
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. file — a document
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — the tool

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