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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lean — thin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bark — to shout
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a document
  12. race — humankind
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — for betting
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. file — a tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — to eat

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