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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. shower — to wash
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. shower — rain
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — to keep track
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. track — a song
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. track — a path

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