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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fall — to drop
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kick — in football
  9. game — a match
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. fall — the season
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. staff — a stick
  24. sharp — exactly

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