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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cold — an illness
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cold — not warm
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. net — after costs
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. net — for catching
  17. foot — a measure
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pound — a weight
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bound — obliged
  24. net — in sport

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