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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitch — completely
  8. drill — army training
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. land — a country
  11. mug — a face
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bat — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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