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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rock — music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. field — for sport
  7. last — final
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — a subject
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. last — finally
  12. bark — to shout
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. field — farmland
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cell — a phone
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rock — a stone
  21. toast — bread
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. court — of a king

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