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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chip — to eat
  5. swing — to play on
  6. lean — to bend
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — of the year
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pass — a permit
  14. swing — music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. lean — thin
  21. chip — for betting
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pound — a weight
  24. season — in sport

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