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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mug — a face
  6. kid — to tease
  7. staff — employees
  8. mug — to rob
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kid — child
  17. net — after costs
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pitch — completely
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. net — for catching

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