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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — in a road
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mate — to breed

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