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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bark — to shout
  8. season — of the year
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. roll — a list
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. charge — in control
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. charge — a price
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. game — a match
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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