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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — the tool
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tear — from crying
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — child
  19. saw — the tool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. deal — a big deal

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