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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 116 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bore — to drill
  6. hand — help
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — a series
  11. spring — the season
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. last — to go on
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rash — hasty
  19. last — final
  20. bore — to tire
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spring — a coil
  23. last — finally
  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