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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bore — to drill
  5. land — a country
  6. key — in music
  7. land — ground
  8. bark — to shout
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. march — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. net — for catching
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. net — after costs
  19. drill — army training
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. key — for a lock
  22. net — in sport
  23. drill — the tool
  24. march — the month

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