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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. file — a line of people
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. file — a tool
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. file — a document
  20. mark — a trace
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rash — a series

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