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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mate — to breed
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bark — to shout
  18. swing — music
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mate — a partner

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