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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. capital — a city
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. lean — to bend
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. firm — decided
  14. lean — thin
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cold — an illness
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bark — to shout
  22. firm — steady
  23. capital — money
  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