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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. drill — a practice
  4. root — of a plant
  5. race — a contest
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. shower — rain
  10. root — of a word
  11. drill — the tool
  12. root — the cause
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — army training
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. perch — the fish
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bore — to tire
  24. race — humankind

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