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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spell — letters
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bore — to drill
  6. scale — size or range
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. key — in music
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spell — a short time
  17. scale — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bark — to shout
  24. scale — for weighing

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