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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — in music
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. race — a contest
  15. bark — to shout
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — humankind
  24. shower — to wash

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