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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — of the year
  3. content — the amount
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rule — government
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rule — a law
  14. game — a match
  15. vault — a safe
  16. drill — army training
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. ball — a great time
  19. content — happy
  20. bark — to shout
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. season — in sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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