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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bore — to drill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. root — of a plant
  5. club — for golf
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. club — a group
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. rush — hurry
  12. root — the cause
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. kid — to tease
  17. root — of a word
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bore — to tire
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. perch — for a bird

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