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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. current — of water
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lean — thin
  10. current — happening now
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. file — a document
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. current — electric
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. perch — the fish
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. file — a 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