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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — army training
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bore — to tire
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — of the year
  9. drill — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. pop — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bore — to drill
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — soda

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