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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bore — to drill
  3. net — in sport
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rest — what's left
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. clip — for paper
  15. kick — in football
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rest — a break
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. date — the fruit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rest — what's left

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