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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — for catching
  5. lie — to recline
  6. net — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bark — to shout
  12. sharp — clever
  13. net — after costs
  14. scale — in music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. scale — size or range
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lie — an untruth

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