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

Word bank: pitcher · deal · chip · bark · shower · nail · march · mark

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. chip — to eat
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — rain

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