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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. file — a tool
  4. ball — a dance
  5. scale — size or range
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bark — to shout
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. root — the cause
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. scale — in music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. ball — a great time
  18. root — of a word
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a document
  21. game — a match
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. root — of a plant

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