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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. key — the most important part
  3. roll — a list
  4. pop — music
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bore — to tire
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bound — certain
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bark — to shout
  12. roll — a cake
  13. face — to confront
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pop — to visit
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. key — in music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bound — obliged
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fan — a supporter

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