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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.

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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. net — for catching
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — help
  10. net — after costs
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bark — to shout
  17. net — in sport
  18. hand — in cards

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