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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. can — a tin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. march — the month
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bark — to shout
  9. march — the month
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. march — music
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — help
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — finally
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bore — to tire
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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