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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. race — a contest
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. race — the arms race
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bound — certain
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. season — of the year
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mug — to rob
  17. lean — thin
  18. bound — tied together
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bark — to shout
  23. race — humankind
  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