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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. face — to confront
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. face — to point toward
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kid — to tease
  12. land — a country
  13. chest — a box
  14. squash — the sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. face — part of the head
  17. land — ground
  18. chest — of your body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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