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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. perch — the fish
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. club — a group
  9. present — there
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. present — the time now
  13. club — for golf
  14. cold — not warm
  15. saw — the tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. can — a tin
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. present — a gift
  24. racket — a loud noise

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