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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mug — a cup
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mug — a face
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. game — a match
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bore — to drill
  15. roll — a cake
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mug — to rob
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bore — to tire
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. swing — music
  23. roll — a list
  24. leaves — of a tree

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