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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: toast · lie · bark · pitch · bowl · rest · race · craft

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. race — humankind
  5. bark — to shout
  6. toast — bread
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lie — to recline
  9. craft — boats
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. race — a contest
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. craft — a skill

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