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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. season — in sport
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — of the year
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bat — the animal

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