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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: bark · game · dip · key · row · pitcher · saw · safe

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. key — in music
  3. row — a line
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bark — to shout
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. saw — the tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. dip — to sink
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. safe — a strongbox

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