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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rest — a break
  5. last — finally
  6. file — a document
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. charge — in control
  13. last — to go on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. charge — a price
  16. bark — to shout
  17. file — a tool
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. club — a group
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — final
  24. spring — of water

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