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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. face — to confront
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitch — completely
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hide — animal skin

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