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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. scale — in music
  3. pass — a permit
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hand — help
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. hand — in cards
  22. press — newspapers
  23. club — a group
  24. hand — part of the body

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