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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — the fish
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. game — a match
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. file — a document
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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