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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. file — a document
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bark — to shout
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ground — the earth
  12. date — the fruit
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chair — a leader
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ground — crushed
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pound — for dogs

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