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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · pit · fork · pound · bark · drill

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pit — a hole
  5. drill — a practice
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. drill — army training
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bark — to shout

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