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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spell — magic
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rule — government
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rule — a law
  15. season — of the year
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spell — letters
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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