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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fine — all right
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — child
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fine — a penalty

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