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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. season — of the year
  11. field — farmland
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. field — a subject
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ground — a position
  19. key — in music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bank — for money

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