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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a hole
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bound — tied together
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — help
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mug — a face
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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