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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. scale — in music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pit — in a race
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. land — a country
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pass — to succeed

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