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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
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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 · roll · lie · fine · field · club · file · hide

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a list
  3. fine — high quality
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. file — a tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. file — a document
  9. club — for golf
  10. field — a subject
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fine — all right
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — for sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lie — to recline
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. club — for dancing
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — the fish
  23. club — a group
  24. file — a line of people

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