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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — to get on
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. perch — the fish
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. game — a match
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — a committee
  12. bore — to drill
  13. snap — to click
  14. bore — to tire
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. net — in sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — help
  21. net — after costs
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. net — for catching
  24. chest — of your body

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