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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. perch — the fish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — of the year
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. season — in sport
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. kid — to tease
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kid — child
  24. pitcher — a jug

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