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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ground — a position
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. kick — in football
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ball — a dance
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. kick — a thrill

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