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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 116 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. firm — decided
  3. file — a tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. firm — steady
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — army training
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — to rip
  18. file — a document
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pit — in a race
  21. firm — a company
  22. file — a line of people
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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