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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fine — all right
  11. wound — an injury
  12. drill — army training
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bark — to shout

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