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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spell — magic
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — a path
  6. file — a document
  7. track — to keep track
  8. file — a tool
  9. spell — a short time
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bound — certain
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bound — tied together
  14. perch — the fish
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spell — letters
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. track — a song
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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