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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. file — a tool
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mark — a trace
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. roll — a list
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. file — a document
  13. roll — a cake
  14. file — a line of people
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — the fruit
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mark — a grade
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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