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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — a match
  7. land — to come down
  8. track — to keep track
  9. land — ground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. track — a song
  13. land — a country
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. track — a path
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rest — a break
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rest — what's left

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