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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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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: pitcher · bark · bear · sharp · drill · lie · squash · key

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — the animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. key — in music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. drill — the tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the sport

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