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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. hand — help
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hand — in cards
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mark — a trace
  16. ground — the earth
  17. staff — employees
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. face — to confront
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. ground — crushed

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