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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · hide · rush · snap · sharp · bore · kid · game

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to click
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — to drill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kid — child
  17. game — a match
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. game — wild animals

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