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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. hand — help
  4. lie — to recline
  5. net — for catching
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. file — a line of people
  8. race — humankind
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — in sport
  11. charge — electricity
  12. file — a document
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — in cards
  15. race — the arms race
  16. charge — a price
  17. net — after costs
  18. race — a contest
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a tool
  24. bark — to shout

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