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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lie — to recline
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. clip — a video
  10. game — a match
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cue — a hint
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bark — to shout
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cue — for pool
  20. date — the fruit
  21. shower — rain
  22. can — a tin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. game — wild animals

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