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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. perch — the fish
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hand — help
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. bore — to tire
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. fall — the season

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