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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. land — a country
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. fine — all right
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — low music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. kick — in football
  17. hand — help
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. land — ground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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