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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. last — final
  4. wind — moving air
  5. last — to go on
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. last — finally
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. object — to protest
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. object — an aim
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bear — the animal

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