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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · can · perch · bat · last · file · ground · bay

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ground — crushed
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. last — to go on
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. ground — the earth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. perch — the fish
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. last — final
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. can — a tin
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bat — the animal
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ground — a position
  24. file — a document

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