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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 116 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: bat · lie · file · rock · race · perch · game · saw

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. race — humankind
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. race — the arms race
  14. file — a line of people
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — a contest
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. perch — the fish
  24. game — a match

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