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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — army training
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. firm — steady
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. key — the most important part
  12. firm — a company
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. key — in music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. firm — decided
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bat — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bark — to shout

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