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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. squash — the sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mug — a cup
  6. tear — to rip
  7. field — for sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mug — to rob
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. tear — from crying
  13. field — farmland
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. kid — to tease
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. perch — the fish
  24. field — a subject

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