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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cue — a signal
  3. can — a tin
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. file — a line of people
  7. can — a tin
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. file — a tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bound — certain
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a document
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. cue — for pool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. hand — help

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