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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.

Make a worksheet

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: perch · hide · toast · straw · rest · mug · net · file

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. file — a tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. file — a document
  5. net — for catching
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. net — in sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a line of people
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. net — after costs
  19. mug — a face
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. toast — bread

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