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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rest — a break
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — for digging
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bark — to shout
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rest — what's left

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