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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. 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. mark — to pay attention
  2. row — a line
  3. squash — the sport
  4. key — in music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. charge — in control
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mark — a grade
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. key — for a lock
  20. squash — to crush
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fall — the season
  23. key — the most important part
  24. 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