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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bound — tied together
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — to crush
  8. deal — to handle
  9. date — the fruit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — certain
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  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