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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a line of people
  6. content — happy
  7. firm — decided
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rock — a stone
  11. firm — steady
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rock — music
  17. firm — a company
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wound — an injury
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — the amount
  23. wound — an injury
  24. file — a document

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