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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 · last · pitcher · tube · suit · safe · mark · kick

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — final
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. suit — clothes
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — to go on
  9. tube — a container
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — finally
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bark — to shout
  24. safe — out of danger

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