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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ground — a position
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. drill — the tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — to crush
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. toast — bread
  18. drill — army training
  19. snap — to click
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. drill — a practice
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — the fish
  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