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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — a lid
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. current — of water
  9. last — final
  10. current — happening now
  11. spell — magic
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — electric
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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