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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — a series
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. field — a subject
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. field — farmland
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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