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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. firm — decided
  5. fall — the season
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. swing — to play on
  11. firm — steady
  12. scale — size or range
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — in music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tear — to rip
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — in a race
  24. tear — from crying

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