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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pass — a permit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bark — to shout

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