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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. mate — a friend
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kid — child
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mate — to breed
  15. tear — to rip
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — of ice
  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