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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. net — after costs
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. net — in sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — to cut
  24. board — a flat piece

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