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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. present — a gift
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chest — a box
  5. present — there
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. last — to go on
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — final
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — to shout
  16. present — the time now
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bore — to tire
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. staff — employees

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