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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. season — in sport
  4. lean — thin
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chest — a box
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rule — a law
  18. mark — a grade
  19. game — a match
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mate — a friend
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rule — government

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