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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cap — a hat
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. race — a contest
  5. last — final
  6. cap — of ice
  7. board — to get on
  8. last — to go on
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. last — finally
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — a law
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — humankind
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. cap — a lid

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