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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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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: roll · ball · wake · file · bay · hand · pitcher · bark

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. file — a document
  7. roll — a cake
  8. file — a tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hand — help
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a line of people
  14. roll — a list
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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