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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — part of the head
  3. track — a path
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. firm — a company
  7. game — wild animals
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. track — a song
  13. object — a thing
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. firm — decided
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. object — an aim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. firm — steady
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — to shout

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