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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hand — help
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bound — certain
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bowl — a football final

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