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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bore — to tire
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bore — to drill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fall — to drop
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fall — to drop

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