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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. game — a match
  5. cue — for pool
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cue — a signal
  9. current — happening now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cue — a hint
  13. court — for sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. current — of water
  16. bark — to shout
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. court — of law
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. game — wild animals
  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