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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. drill — the tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — for catching
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. net — after costs
  15. drill — army training
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stand — to bear
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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