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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. tear — to rip
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. present — there
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. swing — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — the time now
  18. fan — a supporter

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