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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — a tool
  13. club — a group
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — help
  16. club — for golf
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. plane — an aircraft

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