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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rest — a break
  10. snap — to click
  11. bore — to tire
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rest — what's left
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — of a king
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to drill

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