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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. last — finally
  4. pitch — completely
  5. last — final
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. current — of water
  13. last — to go on
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mate — a friend
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pop — to visit

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