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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — to shout
  4. firm — a company
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rock — a stone
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rock — music
  23. firm — decided
  24. rash — a series

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