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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. march — music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bark — to shout
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — in sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. march — the month
  24. season — to add flavour

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