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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 116 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pound — a weight
  10. perch — the fish
  11. band — a ring
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lie — to recline
  17. band — a music group
  18. drill — a practice
  19. squash — the sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — to crush
  22. drill — army training
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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