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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ball — a dance
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pop — music
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pop — soda
  24. ball — a round shape

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