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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. charge — in control
  4. clip — a video
  5. last — to go on
  6. cue — a signal
  7. charge — electricity
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cue — a hint
  10. charge — a price
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. clip — to cut
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — boats
  16. bark — to shout
  17. clip — for paper
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cue — for pool
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. last — finally
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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