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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pop — soda
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pop — music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tear — to rip

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