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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cell — in biology
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cell — a phone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fine — high quality
  17. shower — rain
  18. drill — army training
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. bear — the animal
  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