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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. sharp — clever
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fall — the season
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rest — a break
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cue — a hint
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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