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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bore — to drill
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rest — a break
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. game — a match
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bore — to tire
  16. season — of the year
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. season — in sport

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