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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rest — a break
  5. kick — in football
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. game — a match
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rest — what's left
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rush — hurry
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. board — a committee
  17. rest — what's left
  18. present — the time now
  19. board — to get on
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mine — for digging

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