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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. saw — the tool
  7. clip — for paper
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. rest — a break
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. lie — to recline
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — to cut
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — a jug

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