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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. ground — the earth
  5. shower — to wash
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. swing — in golf
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — for light
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — to shout
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ground — a position
  16. swing — music
  17. shower — rain
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. march — music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. game — a match

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