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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.

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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: toast · ground · rule · pop · cell · game · bowl · bark

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pop — music
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rule — government
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. pop — soda
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. toast — bread
  18. rule — a law
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. ground — a position

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