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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — army training
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — of the year
  10. scale — in music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stand — to bear
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. season — in sport
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fine — all right

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