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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. staff — a stick
  9. kid — to tease
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bore — to tire
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bore — to drill

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