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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 an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rock — music
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — a measure
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fine — high quality
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fine — all right
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a face
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mug — a cup
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rock — to move gently

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