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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. drill — army training
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — all right
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. file — a line of people
  22. prune — to trim
  23. file — a document
  24. key — in music

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