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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. charge — in control
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. charge — a price
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — a weight
  18. spring — the season
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pound — for dogs

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