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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitch — completely
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. row — a line
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rash — a series
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bore — gave birth
  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