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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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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: bark · can · pitch · ruler · last · season · staff · bear

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. last — to go on
  4. bear — the animal
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — completely
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. can — a tin
  20. staff — employees
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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