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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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bass — low music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lean — thin
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. game — a match

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