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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fine — all right
  19. face — part of the head
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fine — high quality
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. trunk — of a tree

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