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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — army training
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ground — a position
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chip — to eat
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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