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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — a series
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. club — for golf
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rash — hasty
  17. club — a group
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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