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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — a series
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stock — shares
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. game — a match
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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