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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 124 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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mate — a partner
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. club — for golf
  11. spell — letters
  12. chest — a box
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. toast — bread
  17. mate — to breed
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spell — magic
  22. club — a group
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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