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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. game — a match
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. track — to keep track
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. kick — in football
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mate — to breed
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. game — wild animals

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