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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. shower — rain
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. capital — money
  6. row — a line
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. last — final
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lie — to recline
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. last — finally
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kick — in football
  18. row — to paddle
  19. shower — to wash
  20. perch — the fish
  21. last — to go on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kick — with a leg

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