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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bark — to shout
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kid — child
  12. season — in sport
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cold — an illness
  19. season — of the year
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — to protest
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. object — an aim

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