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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. kick — in football
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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