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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. court — for sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — happening now
  7. bore — to drill
  8. hand — in cards
  9. court — of law
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — help
  12. file — a tool
  13. current — electric
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. press — to push
  20. court — of a king
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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