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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 120 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. court — for sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of a king
  14. field — for sport
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. court — of law
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. field — a subject
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. club — for golf

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