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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — magic
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — to come down
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. firm — decided
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. land — a country
  19. firm — a company
  20. cue — a signal
  21. firm — steady
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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