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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.

Make a worksheet

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 do anything ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rash — a series
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. face — to point toward
  9. march — the month
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mine — for digging
  14. march — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hand — help
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mug — to rob
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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