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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — for golf
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tear — from crying
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. last — finally
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. club — a group

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