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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. spell — a short time
  3. swing — to play on
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wound — an injury
  7. swing — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. object — a thing
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spell — magic
  14. game — wild animals
  15. spell — letters
  16. game — a match
  17. track — to keep track
  18. object — to protest
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. object — an aim
  23. bark — to shout
  24. swing — in golf

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