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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 120 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. firm — steady
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. firm — decided
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rest — a break
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. capital — money
  19. chest — a box
  20. row — a line
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. capital — a city
  24. firm — a company

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