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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fine — high quality
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — in a race
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — to drill
  8. craft — boats
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — all right
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bore — to tire
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pit — a hole
  24. craft — a handicraft

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