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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a match
  3. tube — a container
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. ground — a position
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. net — in sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. net — after costs
  14. tube — the underground
  15. rush — hurry
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. net — for catching
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. game — wild animals
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tube — in a tire

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