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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. race — the arms race
  3. season — in sport
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. firm — decided
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. firm — steady
  15. race — humankind
  16. firm — a company
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. race — a contest
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cold — an illness

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