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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. suit — to fit
  3. chest — of your body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. suit — in cards
  6. land — ground
  7. file — a line of people
  8. game — a match
  9. land — to come down
  10. file — a tool
  11. land — a country
  12. game — wild animals
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. mug — a face
  17. chest — a box
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. file — a document
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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