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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. foot — a measure
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. plane — a tool
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. sharp — clever
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. date — the fruit
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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