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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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. press — newspapers
  4. rash — a series
  5. clip — for paper
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hand — help
  12. toast — bread
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rash — hasty
  15. shower — rain
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bark — to shout
  19. press — to push
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. hand — part of the body

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