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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bore — to tire
  3. perch — the fish
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. file — a tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bore — to drill
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pass — a permit
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. leaves — lets stay

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