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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. game — a match
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stock — shares
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mug — a face
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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