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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. drill — army training
  18. object — a thing
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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