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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. squash — to crush
  3. suit — in cards
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — steady
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. club — a group
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. club — for dancing
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. squash — the sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. firm — decided
  20. plane — a tool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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