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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. row — a line
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bulb — for light
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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