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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ground — crushed
  8. file — a document
  9. court — of a king
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — music
  12. bank — of a river
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ground — a position
  16. swing — to play on
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ground — the earth
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bank — for money
  24. coach — a trainer

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