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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cold — an illness
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. march — the month
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a tool
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. file — a document
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — music
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — a horse colour

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