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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fine — high quality
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fine — all right
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — child
  12. root — of a plant
  13. drill — the tool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. perch — the fish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. hide — to keep secret

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