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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bark — to shout
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fine — all right
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. deal — to handle
  19. kick — in football
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — a thrill

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