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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bore — to drill
  3. net — after costs
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pound — a weight
  11. suit — in cards
  12. net — in sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. suit — clothes
  15. hand — help
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. net — for catching
  24. key — in music

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