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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — to drill
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bore — to tire
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. board — a committee
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. capital — a city
  19. board — to get on
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. net — for catching
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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