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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pitch — completely
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bore — to drill
  17. deal — to handle
  18. scale — in music
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bore — to tire

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