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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. march — music
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. suit — clothes
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. suit — in cards
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. march — the month
  14. cap — a hat
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pound — a weight
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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