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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bore — to drill
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mug — a face
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. perch — the fish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. row — a line
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mug — a cup
  18. row — to paddle
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. perch — for a bird

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