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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bore — to tire
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. mate — a friend
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mate — to breed
  21. capital — a city
  22. staff — a stick
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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