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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pound — a weight
  3. current — happening now
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bark — to shout
  6. current — of water
  7. clip — to cut
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. current — electric
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. clip — a video
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pound — for dogs

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