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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lean — to bend
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pound — a weight
  15. key — in music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — thin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mate — a friend

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