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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. pop — music
  7. key — in music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kid — to tease
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pop — soda
  16. key — the most important part
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bark — to shout
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. key — for a lock
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. pitcher — a jug

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