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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bark — to shout
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lie — to recline
  7. land — ground
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — to come down
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chest — a box
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — a country
  19. game — a match
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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