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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. field — farmland
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. field — for sport
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pass — a permit
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pop — soda
  19. degree — from a university
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. toast — bread
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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