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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — in music
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rock — music
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bore — to drill
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rock — a stone
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fork — in a road
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. cue — a hint
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cue — for pool

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