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

Word bank: rash · fork · roll · pitch · bay · perch · wake · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rash — a series
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. roll — a list
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bore — to drill
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rash — hasty
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wake — a trail

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