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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.

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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: cap · hide · perch · lie · mouse · tear · pitcher · race

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lie — to recline
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — humankind
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — a hat
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — a lid
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — of ice
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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