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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — a match
  5. can — to be able to
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. rule — government
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rule — a law
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ball — a dance
  20. can — a tin
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. ball — a great time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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