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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bat — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mine — for digging
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — to play on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. swing — music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. object — to protest
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. swing — in golf

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