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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. drill — the tool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bark — to shout
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. drill — army training
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — in music
  24. game — a kind of play

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