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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.

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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 · scale · rash · snap · bark · chest · can · net

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. scale — in music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bark — to shout
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. game — a match
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chest — of your body

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