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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mark — a trace
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — to come down
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. land — a country
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pop — soda
  23. season — of the year
  24. cell — in biology

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