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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. date — the fruit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a document
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. race — the arms race
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — music
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. can — a tin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — a contest
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — to visit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. race — humankind
  24. jam — a tight spot

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