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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. game — a match
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rash — hasty
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ball — a great time
  7. file — a line of people
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. file — a document
  11. game — wild animals
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. rash — a series
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a tool

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