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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — the season
  14. bulb — for light
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bark — to shout
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. spring — of water
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. game — a match

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