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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. date — the fruit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mine — for digging
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. roll — a list
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — hurry

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