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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — humankind
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rock — music
  17. spell — magic
  18. wound — an injury
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. season — of the year
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. race — a contest
  24. bark — to shout

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