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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a document
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — letters
  6. pop — soda
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spell — a short time
  9. march — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — magic
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. suit — to fit
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a line of people
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pop — to visit
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pop — music
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. march — the month

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