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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 116 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: game · rock · ground · bay · pop · bark · wake · kick

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pop — soda
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rock — a stone
  10. ground — a position
  11. game — a match
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bark — to shout
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pop — music

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