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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · bark · pitcher · pop · pass · straw

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pop — soda
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. drill — army training
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. drill — the tool
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pass — a permit

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