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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. bore — to tire
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cold — not warm
  20. season — in sport
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — of the year
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. temple — a place of worship

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