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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mug — to rob
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fine — all right
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. file — a tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fine — high quality
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — a series
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mug — a face

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