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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — in music
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. perch — the fish
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — size or range
  21. lie — to recline
  22. dip — to sink
  23. club — a group
  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