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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — a short time
  3. file — a line of people
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — magic
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tube — a container
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — letters
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bark — to shout
  24. kid — child

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