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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. kick — in football
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tube — a container
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bore — to drill
  13. fall — the season
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chip — to eat
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fall — to drop

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