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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — a line
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cell — a phone
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bark — to shout
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. key — in music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fork — a garden tool

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