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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. root — of a word
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. key — the most important part
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a document
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. key — in music
  13. root — the cause
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bark — to shout
  16. suit — in cards
  17. game — a match
  18. suit — clothes
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. key — for a lock
  23. root — of a plant
  24. suit — to fit

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