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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fork — in a road
  6. drill — army training
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. drill — the tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. game — a match
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bark — to shout
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. dip — to sink

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