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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pit — in a race
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. object — a thing
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pit — a hole
  11. kid — child
  12. bark — to shout
  13. object — to protest
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bound — certain
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ball — a dance
  22. object — an aim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ball — a round shape

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