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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mate — a friend
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. tear — from crying
  11. squash — to crush
  12. chip — to eat
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mate — a partner
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mate — to breed
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. perch — the fish

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