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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. squash — to crush
  10. can — a tin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pound — a weight
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bat — the animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. perch — for a bird

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