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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rock — a stone
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rock — music
  9. file — a tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stem — to come from
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bound — certain
  20. net — after costs
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mug — a cup
  24. net — for catching

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