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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pitch — completely
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rock — music
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. kid — child
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — a grade
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mark — a trace

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