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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bass — low music

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