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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bark — to shout
  6. squash — the sport
  7. drill — army training
  8. squash — to crush
  9. degree — an amount
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. degree — from a university
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. fine — all right
  16. fork — in a road
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chip — for betting

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