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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rock — a stone
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bark — to shout

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