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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — in sport
  3. can — to be able to
  4. land — ground
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. land — to come down
  7. can — a tin
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fine — all right
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bark — to shout
  14. club — a group
  15. cold — an illness
  16. season — of the year
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. club — for golf
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. land — a country
  24. cold — not warm

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