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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 116 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. court — for sport
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. court — of a king
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pass — a permit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. key — in music
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hand — in cards
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. court — of law
  23. fall — to drop
  24. file — a document

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