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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. file — a line of people
  7. root — of a word
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. root — the cause
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — all right
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — to tire
  20. root — of a plant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fine — a penalty

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