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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. net — for catching
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — in sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bark — to shout
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. last — finally
  17. season — in sport
  18. cap — a lid
  19. season — of the year
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cap — a hat
  22. last — to go on
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. last — final

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