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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bore — to drill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — an illness
  6. fork — in a road
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. perch — the fish
  20. scale — in music
  21. cold — not warm
  22. roll — a cake
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. roll — a list

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