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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. sharp — clever
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rule — a law
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rule — government
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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