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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kick — in football
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pop — music
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — soda
  22. rock — music
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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