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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: pass · game · bark · kid · net · kick · roll · perch

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. kid — to tease
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kick — in football
  5. bark — to shout
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. roll — a list
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pass — a permit
  14. net — for catching
  15. roll — a cake
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. net — after costs
  18. game — a match
  19. net — in sport
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kid — child

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