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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hand — help
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — in cards
  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