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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. season — of the year
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bore — to tire
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. clip — to cut
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. perch — the fish
  19. clip — for paper
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — a tin
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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