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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lean — to bend
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lean — thin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. key — for a lock
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. key — in music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. key — the most important part
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. kid — child
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. racket — for tennis

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