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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bark — to shout
  4. season — of the year
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — in sport
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. scale — in music
  9. spell — a short time
  10. kick — in football
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pit — a hole
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — in a race
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spell — letters
  19. scale — size or range
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bark — of a tree

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