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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bulb — for light
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bark — to shout
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bulb — for light
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. game — wild animals
  19. file — a line of people
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. file — a document
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a tool
  24. sharp — clever

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