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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ball — a great time
  10. game — a match
  11. bark — to shout
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stock — goods
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. stock — shares
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — a sauce

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