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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — rain
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rule — government
  15. key — the most important part
  16. perch — the fish
  17. key — in music
  18. hand — help
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. squash — to crush
  21. shower — to wash
  22. key — for a lock
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rule — a law

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