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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: file · straw · perch · rock · last · safe · current · net

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. net — in sport
  4. last — final
  5. rock — music
  6. file — a line of people
  7. current — electric
  8. file — a tool
  9. rock — a stone
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. file — a document
  12. current — of water
  13. net — for catching
  14. last — finally
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — happening now
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. last — to go on
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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