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

Word bank: hide · craft · bat · stick · deal · bark · object · last

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. last — final
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bark — to shout
  6. object — an aim
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. last — to go on
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. deal — to handle
  16. last — finally
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — a thing
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bat — the animal

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