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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 120 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fork — in a road
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. race — humankind
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spell — letters
  15. file — a tool
  16. spell — magic
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — a contest
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. file — a document

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