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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. race — humankind
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stand — to bear
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. chest — a box
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mark — a trace

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