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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. shower — rain
  6. mug — a face
  7. file — a tool
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. mug — a cup
  16. shower — to wash
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. toast — bread
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bound — certain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cabinet — ministers

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