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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mate — to breed
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hide — animal skin

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