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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — to confront
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. face — part of the head
  11. perch — the fish
  12. current — of water
  13. file — a line of people
  14. current — happening now
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — electric
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cold — an illness

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