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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. firm — a company
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fine — all right
  5. firm — steady
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fork — in a road
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. firm — decided
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. season — of the year
  20. cold — an illness
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fork — a garden tool

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