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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. last — final
  5. land — a country
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pit — in a race
  16. last — finally
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — ground
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pit — a hole
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. last — to go on

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