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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bark — to shout
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spell — magic
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bound — certain
  11. season — in sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fine — all right
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tube — a container
  19. spell — a short time
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — letters
  24. ball — a great time

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