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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. season — in sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. season — of the year
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. kick — in football
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bound — certain
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. coach — a trainer

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