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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a music group
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stock — goods
  15. ball — a great time
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ball — a dance
  19. file — a document
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. nail — for a hammer

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