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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.

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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — a match
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. kid — child
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bark — to shout
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. rest — a break
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rest — what's left

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