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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. field — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bark — to shout
  5. field — a subject
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. board — to get on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. scale — in music
  11. current — electric
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. field — farmland
  14. current — of water
  15. scale — size or range
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. board — a committee
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. current — happening now
  23. chest — a box
  24. lie — to recline

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