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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a dance
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lean — thin
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wake — a trail
  19. key — in music
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ball — a great time
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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