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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. band — a ring
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rush — hurry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. band — a music group
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — to hurry

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