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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 120 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 do anything ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — child
  13. cap — of ice
  14. present — a gift
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chip — to eat
  22. kid — to tease
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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