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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. club — for golf
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. club — a group
  13. pop — music
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kick — in football
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. season — of the year
  20. bore — to drill
  21. season — in sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. kick — with a leg

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