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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to point toward
  11. key — in music
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. face — to confront
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hide — animal skin

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