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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. shower — to wash
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. race — humankind
  10. shower — rain
  11. bark — to shout
  12. race — a contest
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitch — a sports field

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