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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 120 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rule — government
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cold — an illness
  15. perch — the fish
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cold — not warm

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