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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — rain
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. shower — to wash
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rest — a break
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bound — tied together
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rest — what's left
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. content — happy
  20. spell — magic
  21. perch — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — obliged
  24. racket — a loud noise

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