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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bore — to drill
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to sink
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pass — a permit
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. march — music
  22. last — final
  23. staff — a stick
  24. last — finally

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