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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — for digging
  5. clip — to cut
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. charge — in control
  9. swing — music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. swing — in golf
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to click
  21. mark — a grade
  22. charge — a price
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bark — to shout

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