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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — to go on
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. key — in music
  8. bore — to drill
  9. net — after costs
  10. last — final
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. last — finally
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — for catching
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pitcher — a jug

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