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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. net — for catching
  16. bore — to tire
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. hand — help
  21. net — in sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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