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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. row — a line
  5. land — a country
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. land — to come down
  12. content — happy
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — ground
  17. content — the amount
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bore — to tire
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. racket — for tennis

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