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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. root — of a word
  5. club — a group
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. board — to get on
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. board — a committee
  20. pitch — completely
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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