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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — to shout
  5. club — for golf
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pop — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — a permit
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. club — a group
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. game — a match
  18. pop — to visit
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pop — soda
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wind — to turn a key

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