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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. file — a document
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pop — soda
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. file — a tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pop — music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — to visit
  19. squash — the sport
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ball — a round shape

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