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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. firm — a company
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cue — a signal
  15. last — finally
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bore — to drill
  18. last — to go on
  19. bore — to tire
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. spell — magic

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