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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bark — to shout
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — to come down
  10. pass — a permit
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. land — ground
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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