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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bark — to shout
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — a trail
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — after costs
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. mate — to breed
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — child
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rock — music

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