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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — to shout
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — for catching
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chest — a box
  12. pound — a weight
  13. press — to push
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bound — certain
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — after costs
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bound — obliged
  21. net — in sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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