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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 116 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: mate · rock · cold · mark · bark · fine · pitcher · ball

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rock — music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — all right
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cold — an illness
  24. ball — a great time

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