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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mark — a grade
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. cell — in biology
  7. current — happening now
  8. field — farmland
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. field — a subject
  11. mug — to rob
  12. field — for sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — of a king
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bark — to shout
  18. court — of law
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. mug — a face
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mug — a cup

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