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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — a lid
  4. kick — in football
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pit — in a race
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rash — a series
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cell — in biology
  14. current — of water
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. current — electric
  23. game — a match
  24. kick — a thrill

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