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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ground — a position
  5. lean — thin
  6. ground — crushed
  7. land — ground
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — in music
  11. land — to come down
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. lean — to bend
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — a country
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bowl — to roll

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