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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · club · cabinet · bowl · staff · pop · bark · ground

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. club — a group
  5. ground — the earth
  6. club — for golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ground — a position
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pop — soda
  24. cold — the Cold War

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