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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. game — a match
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rule — a law
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — the tool
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. club — for golf
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rule — government
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bark — to shout
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. club — a group
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. game — wild animals
  24. dip — to sink

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