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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lean — thin
  9. file — a document
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cell — a phone
  12. can — a tin
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — to protest
  15. perch — the fish
  16. court — of law
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — of a king
  19. file — a line of people
  20. can — to be able to
  21. court — for sport
  22. object — an aim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. can — a tin

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