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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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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — from a university
  15. lie — to recline
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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