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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rush — hurry
  12. clip — a video
  13. ball — a great time
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cold — not warm
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hide — to keep secret

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