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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spring — the season
  7. pit — a hole
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. kick — in football
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. staff — a stick
  17. key — the most important part
  18. staff — employees
  19. spring — a coil
  20. key — in music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. spring — of water
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. staff — employees

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