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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pit — a hole
  3. present — a gift
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pit — in a race
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — to come down
  11. clip — to cut
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. clip — for paper
  15. perch — the fish
  16. clip — a video
  17. bore — to drill
  18. foot — a measure
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. present — there
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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