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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spring — the season
  11. fine — all right
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fine — high quality
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cold — an illness
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. season — of the year

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