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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chest — a box
  5. march — music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. chest — of your body
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — temperature
  23. march — the month
  24. calf — a young animal

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