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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rule — a law
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kick — in football
  11. game — a match
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rule — government
  20. track — a song
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. hide — animal skin

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