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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a document
  3. row — to paddle
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. file — a tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. file — a line of people
  8. last — final
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mine — for digging
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. last — to go on
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — the amount
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. content — happy
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. club — for golf
  24. last — finally

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