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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. staff — employees
  5. kick — in football
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. press — a publisher
  10. current — of water
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. current — electric
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. press — to push
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. current — happening now
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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