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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — to wash
  5. lean — thin
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bat — the animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lean — to bend
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. game — a match
  15. suit — clothes
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cue — a hint
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. game — wild animals
  23. suit — in cards
  24. coach — a trainer

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