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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — steady
  3. staff — employees
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. firm — decided
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. perch — the fish
  8. firm — a company
  9. file — a tool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. court — of law
  12. cap — a lid
  13. sharp — clever
  14. file — a document
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cap — a hat
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — for sport
  24. file — a line of people

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