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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pit — a hole
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bound — certain
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bark — to shout
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bound — obliged
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. face — to confront
  17. game — a match
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pit — in a race
  21. face — part of the head
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bound — tied together
  24. saw — the tool

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