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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to tire
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rash — a series
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — help
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. rash — hasty
  20. plane — a tool
  21. perch — the fish
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — to drill

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