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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fine — all right
  9. bark — to shout
  10. clip — a video
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. clip — for paper
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — a series
  21. fine — high quality
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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