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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. file — a document
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pop — soda
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ground — crushed
  12. cap — a hat
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cap — of ice
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  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