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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. march — music
  11. file — a tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — a line
  14. file — a document
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. row — to paddle
  24. march — the month

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