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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — a song
  12. bulb — for light
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. rash — a series
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — money
  23. key — in music
  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