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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rash — a series
  7. season — of the year
  8. pit — in a race
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lean — thin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pit — a hole
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. land — ground
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. land — to come down
  24. lean — to rest against

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