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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. perch — the fish
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. file — a document
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pop — soda
  10. track — a song
  11. bear — the animal
  12. track — a path
  13. tear — from crying
  14. sharp — clever
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pop — music
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pop — to visit
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a line of people

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