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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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. lean — thin
  2. swing — to play on
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. season — in sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lean — to bend
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stock — goods
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stock — shares
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. season — to add flavour
  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