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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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pop — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mug — to rob
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — soda
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mug — a cup
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — a face
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pop — to visit
  19. file — a document
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — in music
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. scale — size or range
  24. ruler — for measuring

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