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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. net — for catching
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cell — a phone
  10. net — in sport
  11. pit — in a race
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — in biology
  14. spring — the season
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — of the year
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. spring — of water
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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