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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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468
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cold — not warm
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cold — an illness
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fine — high quality
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. root — the cause
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. root — of a plant
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fine — all right

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