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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — for golf
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bark — to shout
  12. sharp — clever
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. lie — to recline
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — a group
  24. mouse — for a computer

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