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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — of the year
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rock — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bound — obliged
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bound — tied together
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bound — certain
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — a friend
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rock — to move gently

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