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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ground — the earth
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — to handle
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. ground — a position
  9. wound — an injury
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. can — a tin
  12. kid — child
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. kid — to tease
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — to drill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — a tin
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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