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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. staff — employees
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitch — completely
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — child
  12. staff — a stick
  13. race — a contest
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fork — in a road
  21. race — humankind
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. race — the arms race

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