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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. net — after costs
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mug — a face
  14. file — a document
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ball — a great time
  17. net — for catching
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pop — soda
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pop — music

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