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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. file — a tool
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. file — a document
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. lie — an untruth

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