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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. rash — hasty
  3. board — a committee
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mug — a face
  12. file — a tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rash — a series
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mug — a cup
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. file — a document

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