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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mate — a friend
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — army training
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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