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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 120 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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pop — to visit
  4. season — in sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. file — a tool
  7. pop — soda
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. file — a line of people
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. file — a document
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — music
  24. perch — for a bird

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