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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. face — to confront
  9. bore — to tire
  10. face — part of the head
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rock — a stone
  16. degree — temperature
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — magic

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