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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hand — help
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. band — a ring
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a music group
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — to protest
  17. stem — to come from
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. file — a document
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hand — in cards

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