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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. can — to be able to
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — finally
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — to shout
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. spell — letters
  11. last — to go on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — a match
  15. rest — a break
  16. can — a tin
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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