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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — child
  3. present — the time now
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bore — to tire
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bark — to shout
  14. present — a gift
  15. game — a match
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. present — there
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — to tease

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