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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bound — certain
  5. mate — a friend
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to click
  13. bound — obliged
  14. cold — an illness
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — tied together
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mouse — the animal

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