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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. last — to go on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. last — finally
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. key — in music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. last — final
  10. club — a group
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. snap — to click
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — for a lock
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bear — the animal

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