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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · ball · mark · pass · bark · race · chest · roll

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mark — a grade
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. race — a contest
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chest — a box

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