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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bore — to tire
  5. sharp — clever
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — the month
  8. face — to confront
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. march — music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — to shout
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pit — a hole
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. sharp — exactly

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