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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pit — a hole
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. craft — a skill
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cold — not warm
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. swing — music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. swing — to play on
  18. branch — a division
  19. craft — boats
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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