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

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bark — to shout
  24. nail — for a hammer

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