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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. capital — a city
  3. wake — a trail
  4. perch — the fish
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kick — in football
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. row — to paddle
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bore — to drill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bore — to tire
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. staff — employees
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. capital — money
  21. staff — employees
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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