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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hand — help
  7. game — a match
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. object — to protest
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. shower — to wash
  17. object — a thing
  18. shower — rain
  19. fork — in a road
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bark — to shout
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. object — an aim

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