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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — to drill
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. court — of law
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. game — a match
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — for sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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