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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. charge — in control
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tube — the underground
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. net — in sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. charge — a price
  16. present — the time now
  17. tube — a container
  18. net — for catching
  19. game — wild animals
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wound — an injury

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