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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. scale — size or range
  4. season — in sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. swing — music
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — of the year
  18. swing — in golf
  19. scale — in music
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stand — to bear

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