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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cold — an illness
  13. charge — in control
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — a price
  18. spell — letters
  19. snap — to click
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cold — the Cold War

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