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

Word bank: stick · toast · patient · mouse · bark · game · snap · bowl

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — a match
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. snap — to click
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. toast — bread
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

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