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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — final
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — a group
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — a friend
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. clip — a video
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — finally
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mug — a face

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