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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — finally
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — to go on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. charge — a price
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ground — a position
  14. charge — electricity
  15. last — final
  16. charge — in control
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spell — magic
  20. bore — to drill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. board — a committee
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. board — to get on

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