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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — in sport
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. net — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — for catching
  20. mug — a cup
  21. season — of the year
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pit — in a race

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