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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bore — to drill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. club — a group
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. club — for golf

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