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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mug — a face
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pop — soda
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pop — music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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