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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. drill — army training
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. date — the fruit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — a line
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wound — an injury
  24. perch — the fish

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