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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bark — to shout
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mark — a grade
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. race — a contest
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. lie — to recline
  24. file — a tool

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