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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ground — crushed
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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