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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — army training
  11. spell — letters
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — a practice
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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