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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mine — for digging
  18. row — a line
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. row — to paddle

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