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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mug — to rob
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. game — a match
  21. bulb — for light
  22. toast — bread
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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