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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.

Make a worksheet

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: last · game · cabinet · rest · spell · present · perch · bark

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spell — magic
  3. last — finally
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — letters
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. present — the time now
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. present — a gift
  15. spell — a short time
  16. present — there
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — to go on
  20. rest — a break
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. game — wild animals

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