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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mark — a trace
  4. track — a song
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bark — to shout
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. row — a line
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kick — in football
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mark — a grade
  18. press — to push
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. track — a path
  21. press — a publisher
  22. track — to keep track
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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