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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. perch — the fish
  3. present — the time now
  4. file — a document
  5. last — to go on
  6. firm — decided
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. last — finally
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pit — a hole
  12. last — final
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. firm — steady
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. file — a line of people
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. perch — for a bird

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