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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mark — a grade
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. board — a committee
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mark — a trace
  14. club — for golf
  15. board — to get on
  16. club — for dancing
  17. snap — to click
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. club — a group
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — to drop

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