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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wind — moving air
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. kick — in football
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bear — to put up with

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