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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. perch — the fish
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. snap — to click
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fine — all right
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — to tire
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ground — a position
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bore — to drill

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