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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — in a race
  7. club — a group
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rock — music
  15. club — for golf
  16. bark — to shout
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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