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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mark — a trace
  3. scale — in music
  4. mark — a grade
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — a series
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rock — music

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