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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. firm — decided
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — a division
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. firm — a company
  19. drill — army training
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. firm — steady
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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