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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cap — of ice
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — a hat
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. sharp — clever
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. band — a ring
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. content — happy
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. content — the amount
  24. perch — for a bird

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