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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. last — finally
  7. kick — in football
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — final
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — to go on
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. track — a song
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kid — child
  22. track — a path
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — to shout

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