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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — decided
  8. bore — to tire
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — a practice
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. firm — steady
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. firm — a company

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