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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. object — to protest
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. season — in sport
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — of the year
  11. object — a thing
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. land — a country
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ball — a great time
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. land — to come down
  23. object — an aim
  24. mark — a trace

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