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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tear — to rip
  13. scale — size or range
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — the season
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. scale — in music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. perch — for a bird

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