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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — army training
  7. shower — to wash
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. drill — a practice
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. drill — the tool
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. shower — rain
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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