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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. key — the most important part
  4. drill — a practice
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — a gift
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — the time now
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. key — in music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. present — there
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bore — to tire
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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