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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. game — a match
  5. object — an aim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. object — a thing
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kick — in football
  11. object — to protest
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. net — for catching
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. net — after costs
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ball — a great time
  23. season — of the year
  24. bark — to shout

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