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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. plane — a tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. firm — steady
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. current — electric
  10. land — ground
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. firm — a company
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. firm — decided
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. land — a country
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — to come down
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. current — of water

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