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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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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: wound · foot · temple · game · perch · bore · last · toast

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. foot — a measure
  3. toast — bread
  4. last — final
  5. bore — to drill
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. perch — the fish
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. last — finally
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. last — to go on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. foot — the bottom

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