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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. present — a gift
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. can — a tin
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hand — in cards
  9. squash — to crush
  10. can — to be able to
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. present — there
  13. race — the arms race
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — help
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. present — the time now
  24. pass — to spend time

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