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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — a phone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rock — a stone
  9. kick — in football
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. perch — the fish
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — a match
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cell — in biology

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