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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. last — finally
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fine — all right
  7. key — the most important part
  8. sharp — clever
  9. last — final
  10. key — in music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fine — high quality
  13. field — for sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — a subject
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. root — of a plant
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. root — of a word
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. key — for a lock
  22. field — farmland
  23. bark — to shout
  24. root — the cause

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