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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. firm — a company
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — a path
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to click
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. track — to keep track
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. firm — steady
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. clip — for paper
  20. firm — decided
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. track — a song
  24. clip — a video

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