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

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. row — to paddle
  9. race — humankind
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bark — to shout
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. scale — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fall — the season
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. race — a contest

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