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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — a country
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. bore — to tire
  15. season — of the year
  16. bore — to drill
  17. land — ground
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cap — a hat
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. land — to come down

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