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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. bark — to shout
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pass — a permit
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. clip — a video
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. ruler — a monarch

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