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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. firm — a company
  7. tear — from crying
  8. present — the time now
  9. lie — to recline
  10. firm — decided
  11. deal — to handle
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. firm — steady
  19. present — there
  20. perch — the fish
  21. chest — a box
  22. present — a gift
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. chest — of your body

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