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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. craft — boats
  4. squash — to crush
  5. key — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. key — for a lock
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. plane — a tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. key — the most important part
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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