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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. press — newspapers
  5. row — to paddle
  6. file — a document
  7. wound — an injury
  8. press — to push
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. firm — decided
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. file — a line of people
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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