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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. perch — the fish
  6. key — for a lock
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kid — to tease
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — in cards
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. deal — to handle
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to click
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — a big deal

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