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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bark — to shout
  3. game — a match
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. game — wild animals
  19. squash — the sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. squash — to crush

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