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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ball — a great time
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. drill — army training
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bore — to tire
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ball — a dance
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — to wash
  23. drill — a practice
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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