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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cap — a hat
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cue — a signal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. roll — a list
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cue — a hint
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. season — of the year
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. drill — army training
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. season — in sport

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