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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: bore · toast · patient · bark · track · pit · kick · chip

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kick — in football
  8. chip — to eat
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. toast — bread
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bore — to tire
  17. track — a song
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bore — to drill

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