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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. perch — the fish
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. bore — to tire
  16. craft — boats
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fork — in a road
  19. degree — an amount
  20. craft — a skill
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bound — obliged
  23. file — a line of people
  24. perch — for a bird

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