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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pass — a permit
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. game — a match
  5. bark — to shout
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — in music
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bound — tied together
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bark — of a tree

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