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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cell — a phone
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rest — a break
  22. snap — to click
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rest — what's left

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