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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rush — hurry
  9. court — for sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. race — a contest
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — of law
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. court — of a king

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