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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. last — final
  5. bore — to tire
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rash — a series
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. perch — for a bird

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