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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. row — a line
  12. face — to confront
  13. bound — certain
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. season — of the year
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bound — tied together
  21. row — to paddle
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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