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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bark — to shout
  4. snap — to click
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mark — a grade
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — of ice
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cap — a lid

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