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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. firm — decided
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a list
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. file — a tool
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. present — the time now
  11. firm — steady
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. file — a document
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. present — there
  18. land — ground
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. roll — a cake
  21. firm — a company
  22. file — a line of people
  23. land — to come down
  24. toast — bread

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