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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ground — a position
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. clip — to cut
  6. club — a group
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. clip — a video
  15. club — for golf
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rock — music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bark — to shout
  24. club — for dancing

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