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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chest — a box
  3. season — of the year
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. perch — the fish
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. saw — the tool
  8. can — a tin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to drill
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bore — to tire
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kid — child
  21. can — to be able to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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