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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. can — a tin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. march — the month
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. shower — rain
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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