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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — to breed
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — a trail
  7. file — a tool
  8. can — to be able to
  9. pit — a hole
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — wild animals
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wake — before a funeral

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