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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — the underground
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. key — the most important part
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. key — in music
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tube — a container
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — to breed
  24. arm — part of the body

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