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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. spring — a coil
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a city
  12. can — a tin
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spring — the season
  17. pitch — completely
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. capital — money
  23. spring — of water
  24. patient — a sick person

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