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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. firm — steady
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. firm — a company
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. race — a contest
  8. bark — to shout
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mark — a trace
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — decided
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. race — humankind
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — size or range
  20. file — a tool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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