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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mark — a grade
  4. present — there
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. key — in music
  8. mark — a trace
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bore — to drill
  11. land — a country
  12. key — for a lock
  13. degree — from a university
  14. present — a gift
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bore — to tire
  17. present — the time now
  18. land — ground
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. drill — a practice
  21. degree — an amount
  22. drill — army training
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. degree — temperature

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