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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rock — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spell — magic
  8. toast — bread
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a grade
  14. spell — letters
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bark — to shout
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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