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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rest — a break
  5. perch — the fish
  6. row — a line
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. race — a contest
  9. bore — to tire
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. row — to paddle
  15. race — the arms race
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cell — a phone
  20. race — humankind
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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