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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mate — to breed
  9. key — in music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. key — for a lock

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