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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. race — a contest
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. race — humankind
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. court — of law
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. court — of a king
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — hurry
  24. hide — animal skin

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