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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bound — certain
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. race — the arms race
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. last — finally
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. last — to go on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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