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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. file — a tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — a match
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bark — to shout
  13. squash — the sport
  14. foot — a measure
  15. club — a group
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — for golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — to crush
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wind — moving air
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. file — a document

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