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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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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — electricity
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. perch — the fish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. charge — a price
  15. land — to come down
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fine — high quality
  20. charge — in control
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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