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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bore — to drill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ground — the earth
  11. season — of the year
  12. firm — decided
  13. season — in sport
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ground — crushed
  16. firm — steady
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fall — the season

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