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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bore — to tire
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rest — a break
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bound — obliged
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. perch — the fish
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — certain

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