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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cue — a hint
  3. foot — a measure
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stand — to bear
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bark — to shout
  15. game — a match
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bore — to drill
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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