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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bound — obliged
  12. degree — temperature
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — hurry
  16. last — to go on
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. last — finally
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. last — final

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