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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · game · tube · perch · kick · saw · court · lean

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. kick — in football
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lean — thin
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — wild animals
  14. perch — the fish
  15. court — of a king
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lean — to bend
  18. tube — a container
  19. court — of law
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. court — for sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  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