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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. charge — a price
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bark — to shout
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. staff — employees
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — final
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pitcher — a jug

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