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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — help
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. firm — decided
  18. hand — in cards
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. calf — a young animal

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