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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. season — in sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tear — to rip
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. toast — bread
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cell — in biology
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. season — of the year
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cell — a phone
  23. snap — to click
  24. arm — part of the body

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