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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pop — soda
  10. bound — certain
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pop — music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cap — a lid
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cap — of ice
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — of a tree

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