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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.

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: mark · band · bark · row · game · saw · object · bay

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mark — a grade
  3. object — to protest
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bark — to shout
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a ring
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. row — a line
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. object — a thing
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. band — a music group
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — to paddle

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