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

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a tool
  3. rule — a law
  4. rest — a break
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bore — to drill
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a document
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — an amount
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rule — government
  24. wave — of the sea

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