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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rush — hurry
  3. game — a match
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. game — wild animals
  7. snap — to click
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. present — the time now
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. race — humankind
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bark — to shout
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. present — there
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. present — a gift
  23. race — a contest
  24. wound — an injury

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