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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. track — a song
  3. bore — to tire
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. deal — to handle
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bore — to drill
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — rain
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. perch — the fish
  24. track — a path

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