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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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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: mate · game · wound · fork · row · perch · suit · file

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. file — a line of people
  9. suit — in cards
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mate — to breed
  13. file — a tool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a document
  20. row — a line
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. suit — to fit
  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