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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kid — child
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. perch — the fish
  15. date — the fruit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. firm — decided
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. firm — steady
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. firm — a company
  23. tear — from crying
  24. toast — bread

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