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

Word bank: perch · track · current · bore · saw · rule · pop · last

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. last — final
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pop — music
  7. current — of water
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. track — a path
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — electric
  14. track — a song
  15. last — finally
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. current — happening now
  19. rule — a law
  20. last — to go on
  21. rule — government
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pop — soda
  24. saw — the tool

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