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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chip — to eat
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. kid — child
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — to handle
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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