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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · bark · bat · charge · pass · pit · game · row

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. row — to paddle
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. game — wild animals
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. game — a match
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. row — a line
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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