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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. fine — all right
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mate — a partner
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mate — a friend

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