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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bore — to drill
  3. present — there
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a tool
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pass — a permit
  16. present — the time now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. present — a gift
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. file — a document

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