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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · ball · season · key · bark · plane · press · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. plane — a tool
  4. row — a line
  5. season — in sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bark — to shout
  9. key — in music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — newspapers
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. press — to push
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ball — a great time
  23. season — of the year
  24. plane — in geometry

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