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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. file — a document
  3. cue — for pool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — a signal
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fine — all right
  16. cue — a hint
  17. perch — the fish
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. prune — the fruit

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