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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. present — there
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — a country
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. present — the time now
  12. bark — to shout
  13. present — a gift
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — ground
  18. chair — a leader
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. chair — to sit on

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