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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stand — to bear
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ground — a position
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ground — the earth
  24. calf — of the leg

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