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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a tool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. file — a line of people
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. staff — employees
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. date — the fruit
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. file — a document
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chest — of your body
  21. staff — a stick
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — to rip

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