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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ground — a position
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bore — to drill
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — in sport
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. row — a line
  16. net — after costs
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. net — for catching

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