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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — after costs
  7. kid — to tease
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stand — to bear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — a group
  12. season — in sport
  13. kid — child
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. club — for dancing
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. net — in sport
  23. club — for golf
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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