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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of law
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. date — the fruit
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lie — to recline
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. court — of a king
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. file — a line of people
  21. court — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a document
  24. drill — the tool

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