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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. present — there
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. present — the time now
  10. file — a document
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. stock — shares
  14. bark — to shout
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. present — a gift
  24. file — a line of people

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