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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — in sport
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. season — of the year
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. pop — soda
  20. club — a group
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bark — to shout

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