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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rock — music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cap — a hat
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bark — to shout
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. can — a tin
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. can — to be able to
  18. snap — to click
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. can — a tin

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