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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pop — music
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bore — to drill
  5. capital — a city
  6. game — wild animals
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. fine — all right
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. row — a line
  22. bark — to shout
  23. game — a match
  24. bark — of a tree

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