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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. deal — to handle
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. perch — the fish
  7. last — finally
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. last — final
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bore — to tire
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. staff — employees
  18. pop — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — to go on
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. deal — a big deal

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