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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · spell · straw · file · present · mine · last · perch

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. perch — the fish
  3. file — a line of people
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. present — the time now
  7. mine — for digging
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — a short time
  11. content — happy
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — a gift
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. file — a tool
  16. last — finally
  17. file — a document
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. last — final
  20. spell — magic
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. present — there
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spell — letters

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