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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spell — magic
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. clip — for paper
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. race — a contest
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — humankind
  17. stock — goods
  18. race — the arms race
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. clip — a video
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. spell — letters
  23. clip — to cut
  24. chair — a professorship

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