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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. present — a gift
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. charge — in control
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. charge — a price
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bass — low music
  15. present — the time now
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. present — there
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. field — farmland
  24. snap — to click

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