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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bark — to shout
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bass — low music
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bat — the animal
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bass — the fish
  19. kick — in football
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. game — wild animals
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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