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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 116 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — to come down
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. charge — a price
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. clip — for paper
  12. snap — to click
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. clip — a video
  17. land — ground
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. charge — in control
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — a country
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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