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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. firm — a company
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — letters
  10. firm — steady
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — a gift
  15. firm — decided
  16. drill — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. drill — army training
  21. present — the time now
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. present — there

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