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

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. row — a line
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. staff — employees
  8. perch — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. staff — a stick
  13. kick — in football
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. row — to paddle
  17. game — wild animals
  18. row — a quarrel

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