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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fine — high quality
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. shower — to wash
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mug — a face
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mug — to rob
  24. foot — a measure

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