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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. perch — the fish
  4. root — of a word
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — for sport
  7. sharp — clever
  8. present — the time now
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. field — a subject
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mug — a face
  16. root — the cause
  17. field — farmland
  18. present — there
  19. mug — a cup
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. root — of a plant
  22. present — a gift
  23. perch — for a bird
  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