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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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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spell — letters
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cap — of ice
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. field — a subject
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bark — to shout
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. field — farmland
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. spell — magic
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rule — government
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cap — a hat

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