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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. season — of the year
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pop — to visit
  5. season — in sport
  6. kid — child
  7. ground — a position
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pop — soda
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. pop — music
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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