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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ball — a great time
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — to bear
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — to fit
  17. last — final
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. last — finally
  20. cold — an illness
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — in cards
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — for spectators

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