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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bore — to tire
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rest — what's left
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. race — a contest
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rest — a break
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. race — humankind
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bore — to drill

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