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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. object — to protest
  6. race — a contest
  7. object — an aim
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bound — obliged
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mark — a grade
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a match
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bound — certain
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. object — a thing
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. mark — a trace
  24. race — humankind

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