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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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 — the fish
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pass — a permit
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. snap — to click
  8. last — to go on
  9. file — a document
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. file — a tool
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. last — finally
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. last — final
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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