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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. tear — to rip
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — child
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mug — a cup
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mug — a face
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kid — to tease
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — to rob
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hide — to keep secret

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