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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cap — a hat
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. perch — the fish
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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