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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cap — a hat
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. face — part of the head
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to point toward
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. face — to confront
  19. bark — to shout
  20. clip — a video
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. cap — of ice
  24. track — to keep track

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