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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. game — a match
  6. kid — child
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. key — in music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. roll — a list
  23. game — wild animals
  24. roll — on a roll

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