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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — in football
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cap — a lid
  10. scale — in music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. cap — of ice
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cap — a hat
  15. fall — the season
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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