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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bark — to shout
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spring — of water
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. date — the fruit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. spring — the season
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — on the calendar

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