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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. perch — the fish
  5. face — part of the head
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. drill — army training
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — to confront
  15. mate — to breed
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — help
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — to grow
  23. face — to point toward
  24. hand — in cards

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