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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bark — to shout
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. season — of the year
  10. drill — a practice
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. season — in sport
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. net — in sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rock — a stone

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