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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.

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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. mate — a partner
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. net — in sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. field — farmland
  21. board — a committee
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — a subject
  24. net — after costs

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