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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. row — to paddle
  4. file — a document
  5. game — wild animals
  6. file — a tool
  7. bat — the animal
  8. swing — to play on
  9. perch — the fish
  10. swing — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. can — a tin
  13. game — a match
  14. lean — to bend
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — in golf
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lean — thin
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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