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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fine — high quality
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. file — a line of people
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cold — not warm
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fine — all right
  16. cold — an illness
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. file — a document
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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