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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mate — a partner
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bore — to tire
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — a weight
  15. drill — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mate — to breed

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