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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. file — a line of people
  11. present — there
  12. file — a document
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. rush — hurry
  16. present — a gift
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. present — the time now
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — a jug

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