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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 124 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cue — a hint
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tear — to rip
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a tool
  11. deal — to handle
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. file — a document
  19. tear — from crying
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — a weight
  22. suit — in cards
  23. tear — from crying
  24. suit — to fit

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