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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: bear · season · perch · pop · club · hide · kid · race

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pop — soda
  7. club — for dancing
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pop — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. perch — the fish
  13. club — for golf
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. club — a group
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. season — in sport
  19. race — humankind
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. race — a contest
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pop — to visit

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