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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ball — a dance
  3. season — in sport
  4. swing — in golf
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. season — of the year
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chip — in a computer

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