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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — to drill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — to tire
  6. content — happy
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rule — a law
  9. bound — tied together
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — certain
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mark — a trace
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. mark — a grade
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. dip — to sink
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — government

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