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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bark — to shout
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. dip — to sink
  8. game — wild animals
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. file — a document
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. game — a match
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. file — a tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. patient — a sick person

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