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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 116 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mug — a face
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mug — to rob
  7. race — a contest
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a leader
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. race — humankind
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. season — in sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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