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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. face — to confront
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cold — not warm
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. can — a tin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. face — to point toward
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. can — a tin
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. can — to be able to

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