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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. field — a subject
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to confront
  21. drill — army training
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — a practice

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