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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bore — to drill
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bore — to tire
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ground — a position
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. firm — decided

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