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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bore — to drill
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. cue — a signal
  6. field — a subject
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bark — to shout
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. last — finally
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. bore — to tire
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. last — to go on
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. field — farmland

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