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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. key — in music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitch — completely
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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