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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. root — of a word
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. game — wild animals
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. game — a match
  22. root — the cause
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mouse — the animal

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