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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pass — a permit
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bark — to shout
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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