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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. suit — in cards
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. suit — to fit
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rock — a stone
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rock — music
  16. suit — clothes
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. snap — to click
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — the fish
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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