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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.

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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. swing — to play on
  5. net — for catching
  6. cold — not warm
  7. file — a document
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. net — after costs
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. swing — music
  13. cold — an illness
  14. swing — in golf
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — in sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. hide — to keep secret

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