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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mate — a friend
  6. shower — rain
  7. perch — the fish
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cold — an illness
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cold — not warm
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lie — to recline
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. shower — to wash
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pop — to visit

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