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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. court — of a king
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bore — to drill
  9. court — for sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mine — for digging
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cue — a hint
  15. court — of law
  16. last — finally
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — final
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bore — gave birth

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