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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: rest · toast · race · bore · bark · rock · pit · spell

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rock — music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — magic
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rest — a break
  16. spell — letters
  17. toast — bread
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. race — humankind
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. race — a contest

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