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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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468
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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. drill — the tool
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mug — a cup
  9. drill — army training
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — an illness
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bark — of a tree

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