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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pop — to visit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pop — music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pop — soda
  23. charge — in control
  24. saw — the tool

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