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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — the sport
  6. last — finally
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. last — final
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fall — the season
  15. swing — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. swing — in golf
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. last — to go on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. swing — to play on

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