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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mate — a partner
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. firm — steady
  13. sharp — clever
  14. firm — decided
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. scale — in music
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pound — a weight
  22. firm — a company
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lash — an eyelash

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