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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 retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — magic
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fork — in a road
  9. spell — a short time
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. season — of the year
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spell — letters
  16. land — ground
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — to come down
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. land — a country

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