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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. season — in sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. season — of the year
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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