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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bark — to shout
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rest — a break
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pound — a weight
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — in sport
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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