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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pit — in a race
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pit — a hole
  8. spell — a short time
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — magic
  15. rush — hurry
  16. scale — in music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. nail — on a finger

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