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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. squash — to crush
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. kid — child
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — in sport
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ground — the earth
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fork — in a road
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ground — a position
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. season — of the year
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. key — in music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. key — for a lock
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bark — to shout

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