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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — child
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — of the year
  15. spell — a short time
  16. season — in sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — magic
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pound — a weight
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — letters
  24. hide — to keep secret

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