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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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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. squash — the sport
  6. clip — a video
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. perch — the fish
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. court — of a king

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