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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. shower — rain
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rule — government
  7. shower — to wash
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — for sport
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. drill — army training
  14. bore — to drill
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. drill — a practice
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. field — farmland
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. staff — employees

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