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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bass — low music
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — the cause
  7. game — a match
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — of law
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kick — in football
  12. file — a tool
  13. root — of a word
  14. file — a document
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — of a king
  18. bark — to shout
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — a thrill

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