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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — a group
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. club — for golf
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. file — a line of people
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ground — crushed
  13. tube — the underground
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fine — high quality
  16. file — a tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. ground — a position
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. club — for dancing
  21. tube — a container
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a document
  24. cabinet — ministers

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