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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 116 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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spell — a short time
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spell — magic
  10. track — a path
  11. fork — in a road
  12. track — a song
  13. perch — the fish
  14. spell — letters
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mark — a trace
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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