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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. sharp — clever
  4. spring — the season
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — a friend
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. spring — of water
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mate — to breed
  14. staff — a stick
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spring — a coil
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — to drill
  20. staff — employees
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bore — to tire
  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