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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. season — in sport
  7. court — of law
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — to protest
  10. court — of a king
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. spell — a short time
  16. object — a thing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. court — for sport
  24. jam — in traffic

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