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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cell — in biology
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lean — thin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rest — a break
  14. lean — to bend
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. game — a match
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bound — certain
  19. bark — to shout
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — a sauce

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