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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — music
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cap — of ice

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