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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cell — a phone
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bark — to shout
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitch — completely
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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