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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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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. charge — in control
  3. march — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. charge — electricity
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. field — farmland
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bark — to shout
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — for sport
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — a price
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. march — the month
  18. game — a match

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