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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. file — a tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. file — a document
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. tube — a container
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. perch — the fish
  20. court — of a king
  21. wake — a trail
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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