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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. perch — the fish
  3. charge — electricity
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. charge — in control
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wind — moving air
  13. charge — a price
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. file — a document
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. swing — to play on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. perch — for a bird

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