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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bass — low music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bass — the fish
  13. club — for golf
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bore — to drill
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. club — a group

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