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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rock — music
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chest — a box
  23. degree — an amount
  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