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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rule — a law
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rule — government
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hand — in cards
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. mate — a partner
  24. kick — in football

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