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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: foot · bark · object · chest · swing · ball · row · game

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. object — a thing
  4. game — wild animals
  5. swing — in golf
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. game — a match
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. ball — a great time
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. object — an aim
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. row — a line
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. swing — music
  20. object — to protest
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. foot — a measure

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