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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. firm — a company
  4. last — final
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — finally
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bat — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. firm — steady
  14. bass — low music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. perch — the fish
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. firm — decided
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. board — a committee
  24. bass — the fish

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