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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: saw · perch · swing · chest · staff · file · mark · mate

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. file — a document
  11. swing — music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mate — to breed
  15. swing — in golf
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mate — a partner
  18. file — a tool
  19. mate — a friend
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — a grade
  23. staff — employees
  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