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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cap — of ice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. march — the month
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — in a race
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cap — a lid

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