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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. key — in music
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — for a lock
  6. last — final
  7. key — the most important part
  8. field — farmland
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rock — a stone
  15. field — for sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rock — music
  24. last — finally

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