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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. kick — in football
  8. file — a tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. drill — army training
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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