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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mug — a cup
  3. file — a tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a document
  7. fine — all right
  8. race — humankind
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mug — to rob
  15. race — the arms race
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mug — a face
  21. mate — a friend
  22. race — a contest
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — 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