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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — a practice
  4. face — part of the head
  5. perch — the fish
  6. kid — child
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lean — thin
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lean — to bend
  17. date — the fruit
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — clever
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. sharp — with an edge

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