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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rock — a stone
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rock — music
  14. spell — magic
  15. lie — to recline
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. stock — shares
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. kick — in football
  22. stock — goods
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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