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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. court — of a king
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. court — for sport
  17. pass — a permit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mark — a grade

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