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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bear — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. staff — employees
  5. suit — to fit
  6. season — of the year
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. suit — in cards
  12. tube — a container
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — the underground
  16. last — finally
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. season — in sport
  24. bear — the animal

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