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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. root — of a word
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. club — for dancing
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a tool
  10. club — for golf
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bark — to shout
  18. club — a group
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. key — in music
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. key — for a lock

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