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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bark — to shout
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — tied together
  6. craft — a skill
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. lean — thin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lean — to bend
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. court — of a king
  22. bound — certain
  23. craft — boats
  24. dip — a sauce

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