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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — the sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. season — in sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. row — a line
  21. bark — to shout
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pop — music
  24. sharp — clever

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