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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a great time
  7. land — a country
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — ground
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stand — to bear
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ball — a dance
  23. clip — a video
  24. stand — for spectators

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